The UAE is one of the most developed digital asset markets in the world

The new “Global Digital Assets Report 2025”, issued by the Global Finance and Technology Network in cooperation with Arthur D. Little, classified the UAE as one of the most developed digital asset markets in the world.

The report, which was launched during the Singapore FinTech Festival 2025 currently being held in Singapore, highlighted the role of regulatory progress in the UAE in establishing international standards for innovation, investor protection, and market integrity.

These results are in line with the region’s ongoing endeavor to align digital asset regulation with global standards, as the report links the rapid growth in stable currencies and tokenized assets to the introduction of licensing frameworks, a system of experimental regulatory environments, and pioneering institutional projects across the Arabian Gulf markets, with the UAE leading the axis of this radical change.

The report indicated that the UAE has an advanced classification comparable to Singapore and Switzerland in terms of regulatory maturity, as both the Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority in Dubai and the Financial Services Regulatory Authority in the Abu Dhabi Global Market implement a licensing system based on the nature of the activity, which balances support for innovation and investor protection requirements.

The report was based on interviews with more than 40 regulators, central bank governors, and financial executives from Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. The results concluded that investor participation is growing faster in markets that have clear regulatory controls.

Subnendu Mohanty, CEO of the Global Network for Finance and Technology, stated that the data indicate that the region has moved from the stage of aspirations to the stage of achievement and implementation, as behind these numbers lies a clear fact that capital is moving towards regulatory clarity.

He added that regulatory authorities in the Arabian Gulf are working to create frameworks designed to achieve continuity and long-term growth, far from mere promotion, in addition to their focus on interoperability and tokenization of real assets, which distinguishes them from markets that are still testing the fundamentals.

Arjun Vir Singh, Partner and Head of FinTech at Arthur D. Little Middle East, said: “Our collaboration with the Global Finance and Technology Network embodies our commitment to providing evidence-based analytics, and the regulatory frameworks in the GCC countries demonstrate how clear policy design can contribute to accelerating market readiness and establishing institutional confidence in the digital finance sector.”

The report provides a multidisciplinary reference for policymakers and financial institutions to evaluate the development of digital currencies, tokenization, and decentralized finance, and documents how the systematic approach followed by the Gulf Cooperation Council countries now ranks among the most advanced regulatory frameworks in the world, providing a basis for continued cooperation between regional authorities and global standard-setting bodies.